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At a Glance
- Meaning
- Fairy (also used as a pet form of Faith or Frances)
- Origin
- Middle English / Old French
- Gender
- Used for both boys and girls
- Pronunciation
- FAY
Fay traces back to Middle English and Old French, where it meant fairy, and it has also been used as a short form of Faith or Frances. It's a short, simple name with a long paper trail in U.S. birth records, showing up in Social Security data going all the way back to 1880. If you're drawn to compact, old-fashioned names with a clear origin story, Fay fits that mold.
Meaning & Origin of Fay
Meaning: Fairy (also used as a pet form of Faith or Frances).
Origin: Middle English / Old French.
Source: Wiktionary, Wikipedia.
How to Pronounce Fay
FAYIPA /feɪ/
Popularity of Fay
Fay hit its high point in 1907, when 257 girls were given the name and it ranked #202 nationally. Since then it's faded a lot — by 2024 it had dropped to #3403, with only 46 babies named Fay that year.
Names Like Fay
These names have followed a similar path to Fay in U.S. popularity over the years.
FAQ
What does the name Fay mean?
Fairy (also used as a pet form of Faith or Frances). (Source: Wiktionary)
How do you pronounce Fay?
Fay is pronounced FAY (IPA: /feɪ/).
Is Fay a popular name right now?
Fay peaked at #202 in 1907 and is ranked #3403 as of 2024. (U.S. Social Security Administration data, 1880–2024.)
Make Fay Name Art
Free printable nursery art for Fay, pre-loaded below — pick a layout, palette, and font, then download a print-ready PNG.
📊 How popular is Fay? See the full popularity history, trend data, and ranking since 1880 with our free Baby Name Popularity Checker.
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